Publisher's Synopsis
Millions know of the controversy surrounding the Turin Shroud, but few in the English-speaking world have heard of the Oviedo Cloth. It too is a possible relic of Jesus? burial, and the marks on the Shroud and the Cloth (which is supposed to have been wrapped round Jesus? head) are consistent with each other. Yet the Oviedo Cloth has been in Spain since the beginning of the seventh century, and so provides an additional reason to doubt the carbon-dating of the Turin Shroud to the 14th century. In this book, Mark Guscin examines the claims for the authenticity of the Cloth, both scientific and historical. His treatment of the Turin Shroud and the new evidence his book provides will complement the impressive array of Shroud literature. The closing chapter examines current historiography in religious studies, and offers a critique of the methodologies applied by those who attempt to separate the Jesus of faith from the Jesus of history. Guscin bases his argument on historical evidence, concluding that tests performed on both the Cloth and the Shroud demonstrate that science does not contradict faith, but rather, confirms it. Believers and sceptics alike should read this book. All who want a reasoned introduction to a subject that has caused fierce disputes among scholars, and all who are concerned with the relationship between faith and fact will be enlightened by this study. Since the exposition of the Turin Shroud ordered by the Pope in April 1998, there has been renewed and widespread interest in this intriguing topic.
